- Joel Anthony was the first player the Spurs considered adding when they went looking for a big man off the bench, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News writes. “Joel’s a really intelligent young man who knows exactly what his role is and performs it well,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “He’s a real pro, and the guys respect him.”
- Jabari Young of Spurs Nation (video link) believes the signing of Anthony, who’s on a 10-day contract, was a good move for the Spurs. Pau Gasol remains sidelined with a broken finger, which could potentially allow Anthony to see some playing time with the team and receive another 10-day deal once his current one expires.
After being cut by the Sixers before this month’s salary guarantee deadline, swingman Hollis Thompson is headed to the D-League. According to Adam Johnson of D-League Digest (via Twitter), the Windy City Bulls have claimed Thompson, but will send him to the Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s affiliate, in exchange for Jarell Eddie. The deal will be finalized once both players pass physicals, tweets Johnson.
Thompson, 25, had been one of the longest-tenured players on the Sixers, having signed with the team back in September of 2013. In 256 games with the franchise, he averaged 7.9 PPG and 3.1 RPG, with a .417/.389/.709 shooting line. Although he has been a solid three-point shooter throughout his career, Thompson’s 36.6% mark this season was the worst of his career, and he also averaged just 18.1 minutes per game this year, another career low that led to his release.
Having signed a D-League contract, Thompson will remain an NBA free agent, meaning the NBA’s Spurs won’t hold his rights. However, San Antonio controls and operates the Austin Spurs, so the club will get a first-hand look at the Georgetown product during his time in the D-League.
Assuming Thompson plays well in the NBADL, he’ll be a strong candidate for at least a 10-day contract or two from an NBA team down the stretch this season, if not a rest-of-season commitment.
JANUARY 23: The Spurs have made it official, formally announcing the signing of Anthony in a press release.
JANUARY 21: The Spurs intend to sign veteran center Joel Anthony to a 10-day contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. He’ll fill some of the frontcourt minutes opened up by the injury to Pau Gasol.
Anthony, who last saw action for the Pistons in 2015/16, played with the Spurs in training camp. He was among the final cuts for the 15th roster spot in October, a spot that was since re-opened when Nicolas Laprovittola was waived last month.
While he hasn’t been used heavily over the course of the past five years, Anthony spent time as the starting five alongside LeBron James and the Heat during their title runs.
Expect Anthony to spend time slotting in behind Dewayne Dedmon and David Lee in the Spurs’ rotation.
- Having experienced trouble with his left foot, Tony Parker will sit out for the Spurs and undergo an MRI at some point this week, writes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. Parker is doubtful to return before the team wraps up its current four-game road trip.
- The Spurs are 4-0 on the road against the Cavs, Rockets and Warriors, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN. The rest of the NBA? A combined 13-72.
The Spurs are once again the No. 2 team in the Western Conference and a given to qualify for and contend in the playoffs. A recent hand injury to Pau Gasol, however, could change that. Ben Alamar of ESPN has explored the impact that Gasol’s absence will have in San Antonio, citing the big man’s staggering efficiency from mid-range as one of the biggest voids that the club will have to fill.
Gasol, Alamar writes, is second on the Spurs in defensive win shares behind only Kawhi Leonard.
- For the first time this season, the Spurs featured Dejounte Murray prominently in their rotation and the rookie guard responded with a career-high, 24-point showing. “I felt like I had a rhythm the whole game,” Murray told Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News. “I was confident even before he Gregg Popovich told me I was starting. I always stay ready. … My teammates, when they heard I was starting, they cheered me up tried to keep my confidence high.”
JANUARY 20, 1:54pm: Gasol will undergo surgery today to repair the fracture in his hand, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. The timeline for Gasol’s recovery still hasn’t been announced, and will depend on how his hand heels, Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter).
JANUARY 19, 8:26pm: Spurs center Pau Gasol intends to opt in for the final year of his two-year contract, Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News reports. Shortly after informing Young of his intentions, Gasol suffered a fracture on his left hand during warmups on Thursday night, according to a team tweet.
The timetable for Gasol’s return to action will be determined at a later date, a team release added. He fractured his left fourth metacarpal.
Gasol has a player option worth $16MM this summer and doesn’t see any reason why he should enter the free agent market for the second straight year.
“My intention is to continue here, and to be here as long as I can,” he told Young.
Gasol, who turns 37 this summer, is averaging a career-low 11.7 points and 7.9 rebounds in 26.4 minutes with San Antonio. But he has no regrets about signing with one of the Western Conference’s top teams.
“It was a great decision,” he told Young. “I came here to have a chance to win a title and we’re second in the league right now, second best record, so that puts you in a position to win a title. That was a priority, and it still is.”
Here are the D-League transactions for the day:
10:32pm:
- The Spurs recalled guard Bryn Forbes from their D-League affiliate in Austin before today’s game with the Suns.
- The Lakers sent center Ivica Zubac to the D-Fenders following their afternoon game, giving him a chance to play for both teams in the same day, tweets Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News.
2:56pm:
- The Warriors recalled Kevon Looney and Patrick McCaw from their D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz, the team has announced in a press release. Both were assigned on Friday. In a victory over Salt Lake City, Looney dropped 18 points and 20 rebounds.
- The Rockets have assigned rookie center Chinanu Onuaku to their D-League affiliate, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Onuaku has averaged 11.8 points and 10.5 rebounds in 19 games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers so far this season.
- The Cavaliers have assigned point guard Kay Felder to the D-League, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN. The rookie expected to be back with the big league club as soon as Sunday.
- After clearing waivers last week, former Hawks forward Ryan Kelly has rejoined the Maine Red Claws, tweets Chris Reichert of The Step Back. Kelly was called up by the Hawks before suiting up for Maine, but they still held his returning rights.
- Pau Gasol has made six All-Star teams in his career, and has played in the NBA’s last two midseason exhibitions, but he knew when he signed with the Spurs that he’d likely be forgoing individual accolades in favor of team success, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. “I didn’t come here with that type of mindset,” Gasol said of his All-Star streak.
Anthony Bennett, who was recently waived by the Nets, may head overseas to pursue his next basketball opportunity, sources tell Sam Amico of Pro Basketball Digest. Amico adds that the former No.1 overall pick is also considering the D-League as an option with an eye on signing a few 10-day contracts with NBA clubs.
Bennett flashed promise at UNLV but struggled mightily during his three stops in the NBA. Amico notes that Bennett’s poor performance during his rookie season played a role in Cleveland’s decision to fire then-GM Chris Grant during the middle of the 2013/14 campaign.
Here are a few more international updates on players with NBA ties:
- Former Kings big man Donte Greene, a 2008 first-rounder who last played in 2012, has joined Puerto Rican team Capitanes de Arecibo, according to an announcement from the club (hat tip to Sportando). Greene, who turns 29 next month, said back in August that he continues to hope for one more shot from an NBA team.
- Maccabi Kiryat Gat of Israel has released former Nets guard Tyshawn Taylor, according to international journalist David Pick (Twitter links). The team will use the roster spot to bring Josh Selby aboard. Selby, who was the No. 49 pick in the 2011 draft, previously played in Israel for Bnei Herzliya.
- Sasha Djordjevic, the coach of Bayern Munich, is recruiting Nicolas Laprovittola to play for his team, Pick reports (Twitter link). Laprovittola was waived by the Spurs last month.
- Ryan Kelly has garnered interest from Reggio Emilia, a team in Italy, but it’s unlikely he joins the club as he prefers to pursue NBA opportunities, according to Emilio Carchia of Sportando. The Hawks waived Kelly last week.
Luke Adams contributed to this post
Here are the D-League assignments and recalls from Sunday:
10:20pm:
- The Spurs moved guard Dejounte Murray to the Austin Spurs of the D-League, the team announced on its website. The rookie guard has appeared in 19 games for San Antonio, averaging 2.3 points in 5.5 minutes.
- The Mavs announced via press release that they have assigned center A.J. Hammons and guard-forward Nicolas Brussino to their D-League affiliate. Hammons has appeared in 17 games for the Mavericks this season, averaging 1.4 points and 1.2 rebounds in 4.5 minutes. Brussino has played in 27 games for Dallas this season, averaging 1.4 points and 1.1 rebounds in 6.8 minutes.
- The Nuggets recalled rookie guard Malik Beasley, Denver announced in a press release.
12:18pm:
- The Sixers have recalled forward Richaun Holmes from their Delaware affiliate, the team announced in a press release. He had 10 points and eight rebounds in the 87ers’ win Saturday.
- The Knicks have recalled Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee from their Westchester affiliate, the team tweeted.
- The Bulls have recalled forward Paul Zipser from their Windy City affiliate, the team announced via press release. Zipser had played in the D-League team’s last two games, averaging 16.5 points and 7.0 rebounds.
- The Celtics have assigned guard Demetrius Jackson to their affiliate in Maine, the team tweeted.
- The Rockets have assigned forward Kyle Wiltjer to their affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, according to a tweet from the team.
Arthur Hill contributed to this report.